Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Friday, October 3
Oct 3, 2008
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State Farm lowers auto rates 0.3 percent
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance said Friday it would reduce its auto rates by 0.3 percent on new and renewal policies, effective Oct. 27.
Florida Insurance Officials to Question Cincinatti Insurance Co. About Proposed Rate Hike
Office of Regulation officials plan to grill Cincinnati Insurance Co. and an affiliate this month about their proposed 37 percent average statewide rate hike on homeowners insurance. As of last year, the companies had 15,350 policies statewide, including 150 in Palm Beach County and 77 in Broward County. The Cincinnati companies are the third insurers to ask to raise rates more than 15 percent, which triggers a rate hearing. The hearing with the Cincinnati companies will be held at 9 a.m. Oct. 10 in Tallahassee.
Florida Sues Merck Over Painkiller Vioxx
Florida has joined eight other states in suing drug manufacturer Merck & Co. over what the state alleges was deceptive marketing of its former prescription painkiller Vioxx.
Florida-based United Insurance Holdings Completes Share Repurchase
United Insurance Holding Corp., based in St. Petersburg, Fla., completed privately negotiated purchases with a limited number of the company’s stockholders to purchase 1,980,671 shares of the its outstanding common stock for $15,740,351.
Quincy Station Gives $2,000 to Red Cross to Settle Price Gouging Allegations
Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced his office has reached an agreement with a Quincy gas station over allegations of price gouging in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Kelly Junior #9 will pay $2,000 to the American Red Cross and will reimburse consumers who were overcharged for gasoline. The station will also reimburse the state for the costs associated with its investigation.
Crist Offers Good News During Hard Times
With Florida unemployment and housing foreclosures rising to scary heights and home values plummeting, Republican Gov. Charlie Crist repackaged a bit of good news Thursday in hopes of putting a positive spin on the economy.
Foreclosure-aid program, law take effect
A $300 billion federal foreclosure-prevention program began Wednesday, the same day a state law aimed at protecting distressed homeowners from foreclosure-rescue scams took effect.
Florida government offers $571 million in loans to build, buy housing
Trying to take the offensive in an economic crisis, Gov. Charlie Crist signed an executive order Thursday freeing $571 million in state-backed financing that real estate developers and reluctant buyers can tap to build and buy new homes.
Praises nations for their expanding partnerships with ‘Gateway of the Americas’
Governor Charlie Crist today joined hundreds of executives and elected officials from Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss his administration’s partnerships with the neighboring countries in areas of international trade, alternative energy and environmental preservation. Speaking at the Miami Herald Americas Conference, Governor Crist welcomed the Latin American and Caribbean representatives to Florida and urged them to continue collaborating with the Sunshine State on innovative endeavors.
A look at the Senate District 25 candidates
Senate District 25 candidates
Florida Sen. Jeff Atwater’s record challenged in District 25 race
In the coastal slice of Broward and Palm Beach counties that is Senate District 25, voters must decide whether to keep six-year Sen. Jeff Atwater, a Republican, in office, or send a newcomer to Tallahassee in his stead.
Just 1 name on ballot; at least she’s talking
There may be three people vying to succeed Aaron Bean in state House District 12, but it appears only one is talking about the campaign.
Lawmaker goes home, comes back supporting bailout
For Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, it was a day to let the world know she’d changed her mind on the mammoth $700 billion measure for reeling financial firms.
Political debate in West Delray Beach turns ugly
Candidates blast political rivals, bailout plan
What was supposed to be a “no-attack” political forum Thursday devolved into a shouting match after four area Democratic congressmen were accused of being in the pockets of special interests.
Florida green energy plan criticized
A proposal by the Public Service Commission recommends the state have 20 percent renewable energy by 2041 — a plan that environmentalists say is too weak.
In a proposal that might decide the future of green power in Florida for decades, the staff of the Public Service Commission recommended Thursday that electric utilities be required to provide 20 percent of their power from renewable sources by the year 2041.
Florida’s dilemma: Can offshore drilling and tourism coexist?
As tourism industry leaders from the Florida Keys to the Panhandle met Thursday for a summit on offshore drilling, David Mattiford cleaned his fishing charter boat on the Destin Docks nearby and explained why he would welcome the oil companies.
OPINION: Here’s one ‘bailout’ we don’t want to face
What a month September was. Some of the country’s largest, oldest and best-known financial institutions went under. And then, Florida State University released a report finding that Florida is poised to go under as well. And not in a figurative, financial sense. The state is literally going under, as sea-level rise due to global warming threatens to consume vast swaths of low-lying real estate.
Fewer Road Rangers roving in Broward
As of Wednesday, the Road Rangers roadside assistance unit has cut back its presence in Broward County.
This month means fewer Road Rangers patrolling the roads in Broward County.
4 million ‘green’ jobs predicted
The U.S. Conference of Mayors released a study predicting millions of new ‘green’ jobs — if the public radically changes its energy consumption habits.
An aggressive push toward renewable energy — coupled with greater conservation — could prompt the creation of more than four million new ”green” industry jobs over the next three decades, according to a study commissioned by the nation’s mayors.
Investors Jittery After Sen. Reid Insurer Comment
Insurance stocks, led by Hartford Financial, Principal Financial and MetLife, fell Thursday after a lawmaker raised the question of whether a well-known insurer could be in financial trouble.
California Governor Vetoes Workers’ Comp Legislation
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed three bills he said would have interfered with the state’s workers’ compensation system.
Schwarzenegger Vetoes Health Insurance Bill
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have cracked down on health insurance companies that cancel policies of people who make expensive claims.
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